Gone
by ChiakiAngel
Summary: Mikey grieves after the loss of one of his brothers. The others try to convince him that it's not his fault.


Splinter looked over at his youngest's door in concern. He hadn't left his room for nearly a week, and no matter how much he coaxed him, it took all he had to get him to eat. His shoulders sagged under the burden of sadness._ 'My son, you must let go. I can't lose you too.'_

He made his way once more towards Mikey's room and knocked on the door. "Michelangelo, my son. Please, please come out."

Once again he was met with silence. Splinter hung his head, grief holding on to his heart as he walked away from what was once the brightest room in the home.

**_Sha la la la la  
Sha la la la la_**

You used to call me your angel  
Said I was sent straight down from heaven  
You'd hold me close in your arms

I loved the way you felt so strong  
I never wanted you to leave  
I wanted you to stay here holding me

Mikey looked sadly at the door at his father's calls, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. How could they even still talk to him? He lay his head on his knees which were pulled to his chest. A few tears slipped down his cheeks, running down the trail left from previous bouts.

_'It's not fair… why'd it have to be you? Why not me?'_ He clenched his eyes shut as more tears ran down.

Quiet sobbing echoed in the room.

**_I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you_**

Splinter looked over at his other two sons. They had been able to grieve together, using each other as support. It was clear they missed their brother, but nothing about that could be done.

He sighed. "My son, your absence is most strongly felt by Michelangelo. Please, give him strength. He sees fault where there should be none."

Splinter headed towards his room, intent on a session of meditation.

Mikey frowned as the memory came back to him.

_"Mikey, quit fooling around, you'll get us caught."_

Mikey laughed, looking over at his brother. "Relax bro, nothing's going to happen. Nobody's even out here!"

His older brother stopped beside him, a frown on his face. "You need to be more careful Mikey. One of these days someone's going to get hurt because you don't think ahead about anything."

There was a frown on his face, but it soon melted into a smile. "But, I guess I can't stop you from being you, can I?"

Mikey grinned. "Got that right. Just relax, okay?"

Just as tension started to melt from his brother's shoulders, they stiffened once more. "Mike, duck!"

Mikey turned, eyes widening. 

"It shouldn't have happened." Mikey shook his head, fists clenching. Why hadn't he paid more attention to his surroundings. He'd been right. Someone had gotten hurt, and it had been because of him.

"Not fair!" he screamed, tears making his face wet.

**_You used to call me your dreamer  
And now I'm living out my dream  
Oh how I wish you could see  
Everything that's happening for me  
I'm thinking back on the past  
It's true that time is flying by too fast_**

Splinter looked up as he heard the scream, and he looked over in the direction of his youngest son's room. "Nothing is ever fair, but we must look beyond that. My son, please don't drown in your grief."

He looked up as his other two sons walked in. They had a determined look on their faces, and a soft smile passed over his face. He stood up and followed them out of the room and towards Michelangelo's.

They opened the door, not bothering to knock.

Mikey looked up in shock, his blue eyes red from the tears. "Wha-?"

He was cut off as he was pulled into a hug. "Fer cryin' out loud Mike, it ain't yer fault! Please, just give me ma lil' bro back. Ya know he woulda done it fer any o' us!"

"But…" Mikey trailed off, remembering.

_Mikey grunted as he was pushed out of the way, his face going wide as blood splashed across his face._

He looked up, his face falling in horror at the sword through his brother's front, and out through the shell. "NO!"

The Foot was disposed of quickly and he knelt down beside his brother. "You can't die, you can't!"

Tears filled his eyes, running down his cheeks

"Don't cry Mike… please." he smiled.

"Please… please no." Mikey sobbed, holding his brother close.

If he hadn't of been fooling around, their location never would have been compromised.

**_I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you_**

Another pair of arms wrapped around him. "Mikey, you know he wouldn't have wanted you to feel guilty like this. If you sit here like this, you'll kill yourself off. What he did will have been for nothing. I know you need time to heal Mike, but you can't do that if you constantly blame yourself."

Mikey looked over to his father. He sobbed quietly when he saw nothing but love. There was no look of hatred, or blame.

He searched the faces of his brothers, finding the same looks there. He broke down crying into their arms, but this time, it wasn't in guilt.

"We'll help ya Mike."

**_I know you're in a better place, yeah  
But I wish that I could see your face, oh  
I know you're where you need to be  
Even though it's not here with me_**

Mikey nodded. "Y-yeah…"

It hadn't been his fault, making the healing on his heart easier. He turned his tear stained eyes over to the twin katana that rested on his dresser.

_'I miss you Leo…'_

**_I miss you  
I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you  
I miss you_**

I miss your smile  
And I still shed a tear  
Every once in a while  
And even though it's different now  
You're still here somehow  
My heart won't let you go  
And I need you to know  
I miss you, sha la la la la  
I miss you


End file.
